Of mists, pyramids and a lost civilization

A story of how we stumbled upon a deserted and misty ruins of Teotihuacan, climbed two pyramids and of a great civilization we know surprisingly little about.

One of the main highlights of my trip to Mexico City was definitely my visit to the ruins of the great city of Teotihuacan. Although not as famous as the Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza in the Yucatan Peninsula, Teotihuacan is arguably one of the most important archeological sites in all of Mesoamerica.

As we had our bus booked for 2:30 pm to leave for Oaxaca, that didn't leave us with a lot of time to visit the site. We got up reasonably early at about 7 a.m. and was out the door by 7:45 a.m. We were supposed to meet Miguel that morning, as he told the day before that he was able to go to Teotihuacan with us. Waiting at Bellas Artes, there was no sign of Miguel. Worried that we won't have as much time as we wanted in Teotihuacan, we checked with Miguel and apparently he had fallen ill in the night and couldn't join us for the day.

So there we were, slightly alarmed thinking that if we took the bus we would only arrive at Teotihuacan closer to 10 a.m. which would leave us with very little time to explore the city. I took out my phone and used the free Wi-Fi at Bellas Artes to jokingly check how much would it cost us to get an Uber to Teotihuacan. Pleasantly surprised, we found that the app told us it would only set us back about 400 pesos (around 20 USD) to get a ride from Bellas Artes to Teotihuacan. As an Uber would only take 45 minutes to reach the site and in light of our time constraint, we thought it was a very small price to pay for the ease and convenience.

So we ordered our Uber and arrived at the gates of the site slightly after 8:30 a.m. Before we left our driver told us that it might be quite difficult for us to get an Uber back from around the area so we might need to consider getting public transport back. We thanked him for that very valuable piece of information and made our way into the site.

The area was completely covered in mist. Even when we were in the car we couldn't see much of the scenery as the mist was just so thick. The air was chilly at around 10 Degrees Centigrade and the sky was overcast. The place was totally deserted except for a few of the guards and staff manning the ticket booth. We crossed the deserted parking lot and met rows and rows of shuttered shops right by the entrance. It was rather eerie and quite exciting at the same time, seeing the world around you covered in mist. A chill went through me as my mind wandered off after being reminded of Stephen King's horror story, the "Mist" (go figure).

We made our way through the path, not entirely sure that we were going in the correct direction due to the lack of visibility and people. But still we trudged on. We suddenly came across a series of steep steps descending to an even bigger path and suddenly looking up, a monumental pyramid emerged from the mist. It had to be one of the most exciting moments of my trip. We suddenly found ourselves face to face with the world's third largest pyramid, Teotihuacan's Pyramide del Sol or Pyramid of the Sun.

It really felt like we were adventurers discovering a lost city in the middle of nowhere. We walked down the steps and started to explore the ruins. It was only then we realized that we had been in the complex all along. Slowly we started to make out platforms lining up the huge avenue, but our eyes and minds were still captivated by the sight of the Pyramid of the Sun standing tall with its top disappearing into the mist.

It was then we realized that the place was not as deserted as we first thought. We started spotting some vendors already walking around the site trying to find early bird visitors like us, whom they can try and coax into buying their various trinkets. A few of them were selling a unique type of whistle, which produced a sound that is very much like that of a roaring jaguar. Some of them also sold flutes and whistles which imitated the sound of birds.

So imagine, walking around the mist covered ruins of Teotihuacan, whilst hearing roars of jaguars and cries of birds intertwining with the soaring notes from the flutes played by the vendors. I still have goose bumps recalling the scene.

It was simply mystical.

We wandered around for a while before deciding that we should probably check out the museum first. Because as much as the mist lent an incredibly unique atmosphere to the ruins, it was kind of hard to actually see and appreciate the ruins itself whilst the thick mist still blanketed everything. In the museum we encountered fellow early birds like us, apparently seeking shelter from the chilly weather inside the museum. The museum itself, though small, was very informative. I particularly liked the "Map Room" where the museum recreated the map of the city with this glass wall at the end of the room aligning the model of the Pyramid of the Sun with the real pyramid.

After spending about 20 minutes in the museum we decided to brave the chilly weather and walked down the Avenue of the Dead, the main thoroughfare of this once bustling Metropolis. The name itself was actually a misnomer as it was originally thought that the platforms lining up the avenue were tombs, though now archeologists mostly agreed that they were the base of structures such as temples or buildings and not just tombs. When we stepped out, the mist was already clearing but not as fast as we hoped and truthfully we were a bit worried that it was going to stay misty throughout our visit. Glad to say we later found that our fears were unfounded.

Walking down the Avenue of the Dead we let our minds wander to imagine what this city must be like in its zenith. You could just imagine all the small squares aligned forming the grand avenue, lit up with torches at night, illuminating the various temples and grand buildings which once lined the walkway. After a bit of walking and sightseeing we reached the southern end of the site and went to the Citadel where the ruins of the Pyramid of the Feathered Serpent is located. We didn't expect much of the ruins as we thought most of the pyramid would have been destroyed. Imagine our surprise when after climbing a steep set of stairs we saw what lies behind the pyramid.

A fair bit of the sections and statues of the pyramid was actually still intact. We saw the reproduction of a section in the National Museum of Anthropology the day before, but that couldn't compare with the feeling and experience of seeing the ruins in person.

Satisfied by the surprisingly well preserved Pyramid of the Feathered Serpent we made our way back up the Avenue of the Dead. It was at that moment that the mist abruptly disappear and the weather became clear in what seemed like a snap of a finger. By the time we arrived at the base of the Pyramid of the Sun, the mist was all but a distant memory and clear blue skies greeted us as we started our climb to conquer the world's third largest pyramid.

By this time the crowds were substantially bigger, but still, due to the immensity of the site we never really felt like it was overly crowded. Except maybe when we reached the top of the pyramids. So it began, our climb of the 400 and odd steps and 75 meters of vertical ascent. After much huffing and puffing (and a small case of Acrophobia) we made it to the top. The view and satisfaction when we reached the top was incredible. We could see around for miles. The view North gave us the majestic Pyramid of the Mood and the shadow of the massive mountain Cerro Gordo behind it. We spent a fair bit of time at the top taking copious pictures (plus selfies) and just soaking up the view and the sense of wonder of being able to be there.

We then decided to walk back down and with about 1 hour left before we planned to depart the site at 12:00 p.m., we continued North of the Avenue of the Dead towards the Pyramid of the Moon.

You could only climb halfway up of the Pyramid of the Moon but the view from that platform was one of Teotihuacan's most spectacular views. As only when you're there looking South, down the Avenue of the Dead, could you appreciate the scale and majesty of the great city of Teotihuacan. It is still one of my favorite views from all the places I have been to in the world.

Having finished our climb of both pyramids we had one last sight to see and that was the Palace of Quetzalpapalotl or the Palace of the Butterfly. From the outside the palace didn't seem like much. However, once we stepped in, we noticed some interesting murals on the walls. But it wasn't until we were in the courtyard could we truly appreciate why this Palace has been called as one of the gem of Teotihuacan. The sight of the red murals surrounding the courtyard coupled with the backdrop of the blue sky was just astonishing. The pillars was covered with incredibly intricate carvings depicting owls and a Quetzal figure with a butterfly, hence the name of the palace. We felt that after the monumentality of the pyramids and the ruins, the palace provided such a beautiful contrast and reminded us of how the city must have been like when they were painted and decorated.

It was then that we glanced at our phones and saw that it was past 12:00 p.m. We became slightly worried then, as we knew if we had to take the bus, that would be playing it incredibly close, knowing that we had a bus to catch at 2:30 p.m. So once again, I tried Uber. Miraculously there was 1 car which was just 10 minutes away. Frantically tapping at my phone, I managed to get that car and we breathed a sigh of relief knowing that we would be able to get back to Mexico City with plenty of time to spare. Having some time to kill whilst waiting for the car to arrive, I pondered upon the city and managed to have some small talk with some of the vendors and guides hanging around the exit.

Our experience of Teotihuacan was amazing, but it was also interesting to note that even after learning about the culture in the National Museum of Anthropology and the site itself, how little we actually know about the city and civilization which once inhabited the city. Archeological findings suggests that the city of Teotihuacan was one of the most, if not the most, powerful city in all of Mesoamerica in its Zenith. Influences of the Teotihuacan culture can be seen in numerous ruins of other civilizations across of Mexico and reaching as far as the Mayan cities in Guatemala and Honduras.

For such a great civilization to exist, archeologists and anthropologists believed that surely some form of written communication and records had existed. But none could be found up to this day. Even though we managed to find out bit by bit about the way of life of the Teotihuacanos and their religious system through artworks and various artifacts, many question still lingers. Who were they exactly? What was their governmental structure like? How did their society operate? All these and many more questions will remain unknown until day someone stumbled upon a written record of the Teotihuacanos.

At some point in the 7th and 8th century, this bustling metropolis collapsed. Many theories were presented regarding the cause of the collapse such as war, famine, ecological disasters and social unrest. But as very little is actually known about the civilization, no one can conclusively say the reason for the collapse. By the time the Aztecs rose to power and built their great city of Tenochtitlan in the 12th Century, Teotihuacan was all but ruins.

Chatting up with some of vendors and guides around the area, they looked cautiously optimistic when talking about the subject to us. I remembered one of the guide nodded wistfully whilst telling me, that maybe, just maybe, some day, someone would stumble upon a book of some sort and the mysteries of this city will finally be unlocked.

But until then, in our minds, this civilization will remain well and truly lost.  Permanently shrouded in the mist of mystery.